A Harry Potter FanFiction
By Ariane Douleur
Notice: The only characters I own in this fanfiction are Tara Landers and Danielle Bousquet. I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, as they belong strictly to J.K. Rowling. Also, I am well aware that at points, at least in the later chapters, Severus Snape does not always act as, well, Severus Snape would.
Chapter 1-The BeginningTara Landers sat huddled in a deep green armchair close to the fire in the Slytherin common room, tired, cold, and homesick. The pretty 16 year-old had moved from her home deep in the Louisiana swamps to England when she was 10, but she still missed the old plantation house she had grown up in. She had never quite adjusted to the balmy weather, and was always wrapped up in some large sweater or another. As she grew warm enough to take off her sweater, her best friend, Danielle Bousquet, another sixth year in Slytherin house, entered the common room, and plopped herself down in the chair next to Tara.
Danielle looked closely at her friend, shocked at just how pale and thin the girl next to her was. True, Danielle knew that Tara had been pale and thin since the day they had met on the Hogwart's Express, but lately it had become so much more pronounced. Everything about her friend seemed to have changed. Hair that had once been a golden blonde was now a silvery white and blue eyes had become gray ringed in deep purple circles, and she had grown taller, giving her the look of a fragile doll. Danielle sighed, and tried to smile at her friend before pressing her with the question that was eating away at her. "Tara, have you talked to the headmaster yet?" She waited for her friend to process the question, and was rewarded with an answering mumble. "Yes, Danny, I did. He wants to speak with my parents before making a decision. Said he'd send me an owl when he figured it out." Tara sat up a little bit straighter. "If it wasn't beginning to affect my work, I wouldn't say a thing, but..." her voice trailed off, as she sunk deep into thought.
Danielle sighed again, knowing exactly where her friend's mind was. Tara had failed their last Potions test, and it disturbed her greatly. Tara had never failed any Potions test prior to this one; in fact Tara had had the best marks in that class out of the entire sixth year. Danielle wasn't sure how it had happened, because Potions was Tara's favorite class, and she had spent the night before the test being tutored by Tara, and she had passed. She had pressed Tara to see if anything unusual had occurred, or if she could find any reason for the change, but she could find none. So she had suggested that Tara talk to the Headmaster, and see if Dumbledore could convince Snape to let her friend re-take the test. Danielle scowled. If she could she would go curse their head of house right now. He had flatly refused to allow Tara to retake the test, despite the fact that Tara was his best student. Tara had been crushed, not simply because of the test, but because of his curt, cutting remarks. Sometime during their years at the school her friend had fallen head over heels for the greasy potions master, and it was easy to see just how taken with him she was, though no one dared tease her about it, they all feared the repercussions too much. Snape, of course, treated Danielle just like everyone else, but with the silver-haired girl he was particularly cruel.
Suddenly, Tara stood, startling Danielle from her thoughts. "I nearly forgot. Today is Friday. I have to see Madame Pomfrey. Wanna come with me?" Tara asked as she put her sweater and bag back on. "Of course. I always go with you. We can go to dinner when we're done." She replied, and the two girls left the common room to head to the hospital wing. As they went, Tara kept up a steady stream of cheerful chatter, more for the sake of appearances than because the girl was actually happy, Danielle knew. Danielle lapsed back into her thoughts, and soon they had reached the hospital wing.
The girls entered the infirmary, and headed straight for Madame Pomfrey's office. Tara knocked lightly on the door, and both girls entered the room. Madame Pomfrey was sitting behind her desk, looking through a stack of papers. She looked up at the interruption, and smiled. "It'll be just a moment Tara, I just have to warm it up for you." She turned away to rummage in a small icebox next to her chair, missing the grimace that passed over Tara's face. Seconds later the mediwitch pulled a small bottle of a red liquid from the box and began to pour it into a large mug. When the bottle had been emptied, she withdrew her wand and cast a charm over the liquid to warm it. "Go on then, dear, drink up." She said and pushed the glass towards Tara. The young witch took a seat and picked up the mug, drinking its contents as quickly as she could. She waited a moment before teasing, "Madame Pomfrey, I've been such a good girl, don't you think you can give me a little hint who the donor is?"
The woman behind the desk smiled, watching the girl's cheeks begin to warm and her eyes take more of their original color. "If only I could, but we were asked not to reveal his identity." A second later Madame Pomfrey realized her slip-up and gasped, both girls were now giggling excitedly. "Girls, please, do not try to find out who it is. Please?" the old witch asked. Both promised, but their words were obviously only said to please the mediwitch. Tara stood, and thanked Madame Pomfrey, and the girls bolted from the office, stopping once they were safely outside the hospital wing to giggle and speculate on who Tara's donor was. "Well," Danielle started, "when you first, you know, changed, did Dumbledore mention anything about who would be donating blood for you?" "No, he just said that he'd be asking for a volunteer from the staff and older students, he never said who." Tara answered. "I do wonder though, I mean since I have been living off their blood for two years now." She continued. Then she laughed. "I really can't believe after all this time she finally slipped up. Oh, I do wonder who it is!"
Danielle stared at her friend. She hadn't seen Tara in this good of a mood for a long time and it was refreshing. Tara had slowly slipped into a downward spiral of depression the summer before their fourth year, while visiting her home in Louisiana. Tara had continued to spend summers in her former home, (her parents still owned their plantation house), usually on her own, since her parents couldn't take the time off work to go with her. That summer Danielle had spent with Tara, and it had been one of the best summers of her life. That is, until a few weeks before the return to Hogwarts. One night, after a particularly frightening nightmare, Danielle had awoken to her friend's scream. She had rushed to find Tara as quickly as she could, searching room after room. Finally she had found her, lying on the terrace, in a pool of blood, barely breathing. Danielle had dragged the limp girl to one of the porch chairs, and sent an owl off to Dumbledore, the only person she could think of at the time. Within an hour he had arrived with Madame Pomfrey, and they had examined Tara, only to find that the girl was dead, but still animate. Dumbledore had left shortly after, leaving Madame Pomfrey to care for both girls, and find a fresh supply of blood for Tara, who would wake with a terrible thirst. Danielle had, of course volunteered, after all, vampire or no, Tara was still her best friend. They survived the next two weeks, helping Tara adjust to her new lifestyle, and testing out all the old myths. They quickly discovered that crosses, crucifixes, running water, sunlight, and silver did her no harm, but that garlic made her nauseous, and she did have the compulsion to pick up thorns and rice, and untie shoelaces. They also discovered, much to their delight, that her tears, depending on whether they were of sorrow or joy would become either ash or diamonds, when caught in her hands. The girls had kept Tara's condition as much of a secret as possible, only the school staff and Danielle knew why Tara made a trip every week to the hospital wing. "Danny! Danny!!!! Hey!! Pay attention!!!!" Tara suddenly shouted in her friend's ear. "C'mon or we're gonna miss dinner!" And with that, both girls were off, leaving all dark thoughts behind them.
Meanwhile, in the Dungeons
Snape cursed as he collapsed in his chair, clutching a wrinkled letter from the headmaster in one hand, a bottle of firewhisky in the other. The whole situation was preposterous! He wouldn't allow it, but what choice did he have. He couldn't very well go against the headmaster's express wishes. Trying to grasp the new situation, he reread the letter.
Dear Severus,
It has recently come to my attention that one of your students, Miss Tara Landers, has been suffering in her studies for a short while. I discussed the situation with Miss Landers and her parents earlier, and have come to a conclusion as to why. It would seem that since for some time now, she has been suffering from a rather nasty recurring nightmare. In order to discover the origins of the dream, and reason she continues to have it, she will be now be spending Fridays in London to uncover the meaning of said dream. Due to this however, she will not only be missing her potions classes, but unable to continue spending her nights unsupervised. Therefore, I am asking that, as you will be required to make and administer to the young lady a draught to record her dreams, you allow her to stay with you, in your personal quarters, and give her potions lessons on Saturdays.
Headmaster Dumbledore
P.S. You might also want to inform the young lady that you are, and have been, her donor, it may make things a bit easier on her.
Snape cursed again, and threw his bottle of firewhisky into the fire, where it shattered, spilling its contents, and causing the fire to flare up. Damn Dumbledore, this would never work, how the hell was he supposed to get any work done with the little twit around? He cursed himself for not allowing her to retake the test in the first place. If he had maybe he wouldn't have to deal with this. He had only said no because he hadn't intended to count it against her. She was the brightest student he had taught since Hermione Granger, better even, than Miss Granger had been when it came to potions. He still wasn't at all sure how the girl had ended up in his house, she possessed few qualities that would recommend her for Slytherin house, but somehow she had managed to get in.
Unsure of what he should do, the potions master fixed himself a quick drink, swallowed it down as quickly as he could manage, and left his quarters to go to dinner, where he would give Dumbledore a piece of his mind.
